Miramonte High School’s open house turned ugly Thursday night as school administrators butted heads with parents and students over suspended debate teacher Sandra Maguire.

Sophomore Cheryl Hori, 16, said Principal Raul Zamora escorted her and parent Yvonne Van Chen off the grounds because they were distributing fliers in support of the embattled debate coach, who was put on paid leave last Friday.

Hori likened the action to censorship.

“We’re not in a Communist country. We’re currently in America,” Hori said.

Debate team member Ali Karol, 16, said she was ordered not to pass around petitions in Maguire’s support either during school hours or at the open house.

After students were kicked off campus, parent Regina Giannini called the police, who later arrived on campus. No one was arrested or injured.

The turn of events was the latest bizarre twist in the battle to bring the much decorated coach back to the school. She has been reassigned and ordered never to teach debate in the Acalanes school district again after taking her students to Disneyland against district orders and sending home a student early from a tournament after he was caught cheating.

Read the Times’ Tuesday story about the district’s decision to suspend Maguire here.